Rail vs. Rod — What's the Difference?

A bar or series of bars fixed on upright supports or attached to a wall or ceiling, serving as part of a barrier or used to hang things on

A fishing rod.

A steel bar or continuous line of bars laid on the ground as one of a pair forming a railway track

A piston rod.

The edge of a surfboard or sailboard.

An often expandable horizontal bar, especially of metal, used to suspend household items such as curtains or towels.

A horizontal piece in the frame of a panelled door or sash window.

A leveling rod.

A conductor which is maintained at a fixed potential and to which other parts of a circuit are connected

A lightning rod.

A secretive bird with drab grey and brown plumage, typically having a long bill and found in dense waterside vegetation.

A divining rod.

Provide or enclose (a space or place) with a rail or rails

A measuring stick.

Convey (goods) by rail

One of the horizontal elements in a truss system underneath a rail car, especially a freight car.

(in windsurfing) sail the board on its edge

A shoot or stem cut from or growing as part of a woody plant.

Complain or protest strongly and persistently about

A stick or bundle of sticks or switches used to give punishment by whipping.

A bar extending horizontally between supports, as in a fence.

Punishment; correction.

A structure made of such bars and supports and forming a barrier or guard; a railing.

A scepter, staff, or wand symbolizing power or authority.

A steel bar used, usually in pairs, as a track for railroad cars or other wheeled vehicles.

Power or dominion, especially of a tyrannical nature

(Sports) A grind rail.

A linear measure equal to 5.5 yards or 16.5 feet (5.03 meters). Also called pole2.

The railroad as a means of transportation

The square of this measure, equal to 30.25 square yards or 272.25 square feet (25.30 square meters).

A horizontal framing member in a door or in paneling.

(Anatomy) Any of various rod-shaped cells in the retina that respond to dim light. Also called rod cell.

Any of various marsh birds of the family Rallidae, found worldwide and characteristically having brownish plumage and short wings.

(Microbiology) An elongated bacterium; a bacillus.

To supply or enclose with rails or a rail.

(Slang) A pistol or revolver.

To express objections or criticisms in bitter, harsh, or abusive language.

Vulgar Slang A penis, especially when erect.

A horizontal bar extending between supports and used for support or as a barrier; a railing.

A straight, round stick, shaft, bar, cane, or staff.

The metal bar forming part of the track for a railroad.

A longitudinal pole used for forming part of a framework such as an awning or tent.

A railroad; a railway, as a means of transportation.

(fishing) A long slender usually tapering pole used for angling; fishing rod.

(electronics) A conductor maintained at a fixed electrical potential relative to ground, to which other circuit components are connected.

A stick, pole, or bundle of switches or twigs (such as a birch), used for personal defense or to administer corporal punishment by whipping.

A horizontal piece of wood that serves to separate sections of a door or window.

An implement resembling and/or supplanting a rod (particularly a cane) that is used for corporal punishment, and metonymically called the rod, regardless of its actual shape and composition.

(surfing) One of the lengthwise edges of a surfboard.

A stick used to measure distance, by using its established length or task-specific temporary marks along its length, or by dint of specific graduated marks.

(internet) A vertical section on one side of a web page.

(archaic) A unit of length equal to 1 pole, a perch, 4 chain, 2 yards, 2 feet, or exactly 5.0292 meters (these being all equivalent).

(drugs) A large line portion or serving of a powdery illegal drug.

An implement held vertically and viewed through an optical surveying instrument such as a transit, used to measure distance in land surveying and construction layout; an engineer's rod, surveyor's rod, surveying rod, leveling rod, ranging rod. The modern (US) engineer's or surveyor's rod commonly is eight or ten feet long and often designed to extend higher. In former times a surveyor's rod often was a single wooden pole or composed of multiple sectioned and socketed pieces, and besides serving as a sighting target was used to measure distance on the ground horizontally, hence for convenience was of one rod or pole in length, that is, 2 yards.

Any of several birds in the family Rallidae.

(archaic) A unit of area equal to a square rod, 4 square yards or 160 acre.

(obsolete) An item of clothing; a cloak or other garment; a dress.

A straight bar that unites moving parts of a machine, for holding parts together as a connecting rod or for transferring power as a driveshaft.

(obsolete) Specifically, a woman's headscarf or neckerchief.

(anatomy) A rod cell: a rod-shaped cell in the eye that is sensitive to light.

(intransitive) To travel by railway.

(biology) Any of a number of long, slender microorganisms.

To place on a track.

(chemistry) A stirring rod: a glass rod, typically about 6 inches to 1 foot long and 8 to 4 inch in diameter that can be used to stir liquids in flasks or beakers.

(transitive) To enclose with rails or a railing.

(slang) A pistol; a gun.

(transitive) To range in a line.

A penis.

To sexually penetrate in a rough manner.

(slang) A hot rod, an automobile or other passenger motor vehicle modified to run faster and often with exterior cosmetic alterations, especially one based originally on a pre-1940s model or (currently) denoting any older vehicle thus modified.

To complain violently (against, about).

(ufology) A rod-shaped object that appears in photographs or videos traveling at high speed, not seen by the person recording the event, often associated with extraterrestrial entities.

To gush; to flow.

(mathematics) A Cuisenaire rod.

An outer cloak or covering; a neckerchief for women.

(rail transport) A coupling rod or connecting rod, which links the driving wheels of a steam locomotive, and some diesel shunters and early electric locomotives.

A bar of timber or metal, usually horizontal or nearly so, extending from one post or support to another, as in fences, balustrades, staircases, etc.

(construction) To reinforce concrete with metal rods.

A horizontal piece in a frame or paneling. See Illust. of Style.

(transitive) To furnish with rods, especially lightning rods.

A bar of steel or iron, forming part of the track on which the wheels roll. It is usually shaped with reference to vertical strength, and is held in place by chairs, splices, etc.

To penetrate sexually.

The stout, narrow plank that forms the top of the bulwarks.

(slang) To hot rod.

A railroad as a means of transportation; as, to go by rail; a place not accesible by rail.

A straight and slender stick; a wand; hence, any slender bar, as of wood or metal (applied to various purposes).

A railing.

A kind of sceptor, or badge of office; hence, figuratively, power; authority; tyranny; oppression.

Any one of numerous species of limicoline birds of the family Rallidæ, especially those of the genus Rallus, and of closely allied genera. They are prized as game birds.

A measure of length containing sixteen and a half feet; - called also perch, and pole.

To flow forth; to roll out; to course.

A linear measure of 16.5 feet

To inclose with rails or a railing.

A long thin implement made of metal or wood

To range in a line.

Any rod-shaped bacterium

To use insolent and reproachful language; to utter reproaches; to scoff; - followed by at or against, formerly by on.

A square rod of land

To rail at.

Visual receptor cell sensitive to dim light

To move or influence by railing.

A gangster's pistol

A barrier consisting of a horizontal bar and supports

Short for railway;

A bar or bars of rolled steel making a track along which vehicles can roll

A horizontal bar (usually of wood)

Any of numerous widely distributed small wading birds of the family Rallidae having short wings and very long toes for running on soft mud

Complain bitterly

Enclose with rails;

Provide with rails;

Separate with a railing;

Convey (goods etc.) by rails;

Travel by rail or train;

Lay with rails;

Fish with a hand-line over the rails of a boat;

Spread negative information about;

Criticize severely;